Farm-gate



UNITED STATES PATENT OEricE.

\VILLIAM A. VOLFINGER, OF MILTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FARM- GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,673, dated October 23, 1888.

Applicath :n filed March 3, IESS.

Serial No. 266,022. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. WOLFIN- GER, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Milton, in the county of Northumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Farm-Gate, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in farm-gates of that class known as sliding and rolling gates, and of the special class in sliding and rolling gates which may be turned on a supporting-roller having a hinged connection to the main gate-post to give the gate a swinging motion.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my improved farm-gate in the accompanying drawings, whercin Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the gate open and run back on the fence-panel. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the gate closed. Fig. 3 is the gate detached and shown in reverse of Fig. 1. Fig. 4.- is a view of the hinged roller and supporting means, and Fig. 5 is a View in detail of the gravity-latch.

Reference being had to the drawings, Adesignates the latch-post of the gate. This consists of a substantial post, 1, having an offset or stud, 2, at its lower part, a vertical strip, 3, and top piece, 4-. This construction forms a slot, 5, between the vertical strip and the post, into which slot the end of the gate slides and in which it rests when closed. The top piece, at, is composed of two pieces having their meeting edges directly over the vertical space out out to form an opening to take the neck or stem of the gravity-latch 6. This latch 6 is formed with an enlarged upper end projecting above the post, an intermediate smaller neck or stem fitted to slide in the aperture of the top piece on the post, and thelatch end larger than the stem to engage with a notch or seat in the upper edge of the top rail of the gate. The inner under face of the gravity-latch is beveled off, as at 7, in order that the gate corner, also beveled 0d, may readily lift the latch when it strikes it in its course in closing. As the gravity-latch, because of its elevated position, may not be readily lifted by children or other persons of short stature, I fix on the post staples or eyes 8, and also fix a similar keeper, 9, in the head of the latch, and arrangeloosely in these a lifting-rod, 10, having its upper end fixed in the top of the latch, substantially as shown. By taking hold of the handle end of the lifting-rod and sliding it upward the latch will be lifted up out of its seat in the gate and the gate be freed to be rolled open.

B designates a post set at a convenient distance from the latch-post to form a narrow passage between them for persons or animals to pass through. On the post B is pivotally secured a flanged pulley or roller, 11, which carries the forward end of the gate in its move ments back and forth across the narrow entrance. The pulley 11 is mounted facing the board face of the fence, so that the gate may be slid or ;rolled back freely along the panel of fence.

G designates the hinge-post. This is of the usual construction. To the post is attached a roller, 12, having its journal or pivot 13 projecting beyond the face of the pulley and formed on the projection with an eye, 14, extending far enough, when in connection with the hinge or support, to permit the pulley to swing so as to throw the gate at right angles to its sliding line. To connect this pulley to the post I have contrived the following simple and efficient means: I take a substantial rod of metal and thread the stem thereof, as 15, to take a nut, 16, and then taper the other end to a point, turning a portion, 17 vertical to take the eye of the pulley and serve as a hinge-bearing, and then strike the point of the hinge-barinward,substantiallyasshown. This pulley-support is let diagonally through the post, as shown, and driven home, and then locked by the nut on the threaded end. This makes a most substantial bearing for the pulley or roller, since the vertical part of the hearing or hinge constituting that part on which the journal of the pulley is mounted and swings is braced by the end of the bearing being driven into the post.

The part of the fence over which the gate slides is constructed with spaces corresponding to those between the boards of the gate, as shown, and inthe under edge of the bottom board are out out places a b, to permit the lower pulley on the gate to swing out with the gate when turned on the hinged pulley.

D designates the gate, composed of end bars, 18 19, and intermediate bar, 20. The bar 18 is secured on the opposite side of the gate to the bars 19 and 20, so that the pulley 11 on post B may slide past the said bar. In the top edge of the top rail of the gate is a notch, 21, in which the latch end of the gravity-latch engages to hold the gate when closed, as heretofore stated. On the rear end of the gate are secured the guide rollers 22 23, the former being arranged to travel 011 the upper edge of the adjacent panel of fence, and the latter arranged to travel in engagement with the lower edge of the bottom board of the adjacent panel offence, substantially as seen in the drawings. The pulley 23 serves to keep the gate from sagging when being run across the larger opening between the post in either direction after it is free from the support of the pulley 11 on the post B. As heretofore specified, I form in the lower edge of the lowest board in the panel of fence lapped by the gate curved notches a b, so that if itis desired to swing the gate it may be turned loose at any one of these places.

To provide room for the free passage of the hinged pulley 12 past the middle bar of the gate, I rabbet out the bar at 24, extending the rabbet a distance below and above the edge of the board which forms the space through which the pulley travels, and to make ready engagement with the pulley 11 when the gate is swung I cutaway the edge of theboard, as at c. v

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with the gate formed with a latch-seat in the upper edge of the top board, of rollers 22 23, mounted on the gate to travel, respectively, on the upper and lower edges of the adjacent fence-panel, the hinged roller 12, the post 13, having a roller, 11, the slotted latch-post, and agravity-latch arranged in the top piece of the post over the slot or space and provided with alifting-rod, 10,substantially as-described.

2. The combination, withagate formed with a latch-seat in the upper edge of the top board, of a gate-post formed with a slot to take the end of the gate and an, aperture in its top piece, a vertically-sliding latch fitted in said aperture having a latch end to fit within the seat in the gate, and a lifting-rod attached to said latch, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two attesting witncsses.

VM. A. W'OLFINGER.

Attest:

WM. H. I-IAOKENBERG, J A COB DIVEL. 

